Fire escape



Aug. 13, 1 c. H. DIEHL ET AL FIRE ESCAPE Filed May 5, 1939 Suva/whomCTEameaZ '4 .1 a 4 a I t I J 7 I I 4 i.

Patented Aug. 13, 1940 FIRE ESCAPE Clyde H. Diehl and Daniel C. Samels,Huntingdon, la.

Application May 5, 1939, Serial No. 271,986

2 Glaims.

This invention relates to a fire escape of the ladder type and it is oneobject of the invention to provide a device of this character consistingof a light weight ladder having a grapple at its .3 upper end forengaging a window sill and suspending the ladder therefrom in suchposition that a person may climb down the ladder and thus escape iftrapped in a room by fire.

Another object of the invention is to so form in the grapple that itshooked end portion will be very firmly engaged with the inner portion ofa window sill and prevented from slipping during use of the fire escape.

Another object of the invention is to so form 1 the grapple that a crossbar constituting a transverse brace for side bars of the grapple willserve as a hand hold adapted to be grasped by a person crawling througha window and down upon the ladder suspended from the grapple.

A further object of the invention is to provide the ladder with rungs soformed that portions. extending inwardly from side chains of the ladderwill serve as spacers for maintaining the chains and cross rungs spacedoutwardly from the wall 25 of a building. It will thus be seen that aperson using the fire escape may readily grasp the rungs and climb downthe ladder without the fingers becoming caught between the rungs and thewall of the building.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a fire escapeof this type which is of light weight and may be stored in a small spaceor small container when not in use, its light weight permitting it to bevery easily applied to a window sill in position for use when needed.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective View showing the improved fire escape inposition for use.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. i.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective View of the r ppl Fig, 4 is anenlarged fragmentary View illus- 45 trating the manner in which therungs are connected with the side chains of the ladder.

This improved fire escape consists briefly of a ladder l and a grapple2, by means of which the ladder is suspended from the-sill 3 of a window5D frame l. The ladder may be of any length desired, adapting it toextend from the window to the ground, and thus permit a person trappedin a room by fire to crawl through the window and climb down the ladderto the ground in safety.

The grapple is formed of strong metal and has (Cl. 22S-40) side bars 5having eyes 6 at their outer ends through which the upper end links ofthe side chains l of the ladder are engaged to suspend the ladder fromthe grapple. Inner end portions of the side bars 5 are bent downwardlyand back 5 upon themselves to form hooks 8 for engaging under the ledged of the window sill and these hooks are welded to an anchoring bar itwhich is of appreciably greater length than the distance between thehooks and projects laterally from the hooks, as shown clearly in Fig. 3of the drawing. Therefore, when the fire escape is in use and thegrapple set in place across the window sill, the anchoring bar will bearagainst the inner face of the window sill under the ledge 9 a sufficientdistance to. firmly anchor the grapple and thus prevent transversetilting thereof. It will thus be seen that there will be no danger ofthe grapple tilting transversely and slipping out of proper engagementwith the window sill. A cross bar I l which serves as a brace for theside bars 5, eX- tends transversely between the same midway their endsand has depending arms l2 which are welded to the side bars. This crossbar serves very effectively to brace the side bars and since it isspaced upwardly from the side bars it constitutes a hand hold sodisposed that it may be readily grasped while crawling through thewindew and stepping down upon the ladder.

A swinging ladder is hard to climb by an inexperienced person due to thefact that it swings freely. In order to prevent the ladder from hav ingfree swinging movement and also prevent a persons fingers from becomingcaught and mashed between the ladder and the wall of the building, therehave been provided rungs of special' construction. Each rung is formedfrom a metal bar having its end portions bent to form arms or spacers Mwhich are of such length that they may bear against the wall and holdthe lad- 40 der spaced outwardly from the sill 3 and the outer surfaceof the wall, These rungs are passed through links of the chains 7, asshown in Figs.

2 and 4, and firmly welded to the links, as shown at id in Fig. 4.Therefore, the rungs will be 45 firmly united to the links of the chainand prevented from slipping through the links. This also prevents therungs from turning in the links and the arms M will be held at rightangles to the chains. The fact that the arms have pointed ends alsopermits them to engage in the mortar points of a wall and thus assist inmaintaining the ladder in its proper position relative to the wall. Aladder so formed may be easily descended as it will be prevented fromSwinging toward and away from the building wall and, in addition, itsrungs may be readily grasped without danger of the fingers being mashed,and there will be no danger of a persons toes striking against the walland thus caused to slip from the rungs.

The fire escape is normally stored in a box or other container, or itmay be deposited in a pile in a closet or corner of a room. When a fireoccurs and it is impossible for the occupant of the room to escape byway of the door, the fire escape is carried to the window and thegrapple thrust across the window sill and anchored by engagement of thehooks 8 under the ledge 9. The ladder is then thrown or fed out of thewindow until it hangs from the grapple, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, withthe arms I4 of the rungs l3 abutting the outer face of the wall. Theperson may then crawl through the window and by grasping the hand holdll, easily step downwardly upon the ladder and climb down the ladder tothe ground. The anchor bar It! aids in holding the hooks 8 under theledge 9 and, in addition, prevents transverse rocking of the grapple.Therefore, the grapple cannot slip out of engagement with the windowsill.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a fire escape, a ladder consisting of side chains, rungs extendingbetween said side chains and having their end portions passed throughlinks of the chains and bent to form arms projecting from the chains forengaging a wall and maintaining the rungs in spaced relation to thewall, and means for securing the rungs to the links of said side chains.

2. In a fire escape, a ladder consisting of side chains, and rungsformed of bars extending between said chains and having their endportions bent to form arms passed through links of said chains andprojecting from the chains in a direction to abut a wall and maintainthe rungs spaced from the wall, said bars being welded to the links tofirmly unite the rungs to the chains and prevent turning of the rungsrelative to the chains.

CLYDE I-I. DIEHL. DANIEL C. SAMELS.

